SHOAIB SHAIKH
shoaib@herald-goa.com
Even as the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) the special purpose vehicle for transforming the capital of Goa into a smart city gets into action, questions are being raised regarding its over-riding authority.
With the first installment of Rs 108 crores under the Smart Cities Mission from the Union Ministry of Urban Development being received, the IPSCDL has accelerated the process and some the proposals have been put into the pipeline for execution.
While, the Union Ministry of Urban Development is partly financing the project, transforming the capital into a smart city will involve a total capital expenditure of Rs 1,775.12 crore over a period of five years. Of the total expenditure, Rs 534.12 crore is the smart city component, funded 50:50 by the state and the Centre. The remaining Rs 778.55 crore is through convergence – various central schemes, Rs 396.83 crore via PPP and Rs 65.62 crore in operation and maintenance (for a period of ten years). Please see box: The SMART MATH)
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar during the budget speech informed allocation of Rs 145 crores for the development of the capital city under the scheme.
After being selected in the second round, the state government had announced the SPV for carrying out the works under the smart city project, with the vision, ‘transforming the City of Panaji into a world-class, environmentally sustainable and liveable city for all, while preserving its heritage, cultural diversity and ecosystem through innovation and smart solutions’.
The Department of Urban Development, in 2016, approved to give complete flexibility and financial autonomy to the SPV to implement and manage Smart City Projects. The notification mentioned, “The SPV has full autonomy to discharge its functions as prescribed under Articles of Association (AoA) to meet the objectives written in Memorandum of Association (MoA) including exercise of financial powers within frame work of the Companies Act, 2013.”
The state government subsequently approved this
The powers included approval or decision making powers in regards to Smart City Projects available to various urban and town planning departments and of course the CCP
The SPV were also delegated the powers regarding matters that require the approval of the state government to the State Level High Powered Steering Committee (SHPSC) for Smart Cities.
Moreover any planned development work in the City of Panjim must take the approval of IPSCDL prior to executing the project.
Upset with the over-riding powers delegated to the SPV, CCP Mayor Surendra Furtado said that it is unfortunate that the only city corporation in the state has been by-passed while implementing an important project.
He said “CCP is not aware what is happening and no NOC is being taken from CCP. They have by-passed CCP and we are the first ULB that is being by-passed in the whole of India.”
Stating that the CCP Commissioner is only a member of the SPV, he said “These are over-riding powers given by the government and trying to trample upon the ULBs. Under the 74th amendment the powers should have been with the CCP.”
The Urban Development Minister Francis D Souza however told Herald that the Chief Minister would handle these so called differences.
According to sources in the IPSCDL, amongst the first works to be executed include CCTV surveillance across the city and Wi-Fi network, making it the first city in the state to be completely Wi-Fi.
Speaking to Herald, Urban Development Minister Francis D’Souza confirmed that the first installment under the project has been was received. He said “There are several things but surveillance (CCTV) on major junctions will be the priority besides Wi-Fi networks in the entire city. Apart from this 24×7 water supply for Panjim will also be taken up in first phase.”
Amongst the proposals of infrastructure and smart land use proposals, the IPSCDL has proposed to make the lanes around Church Square as pedestrian paths and the lane near Café Bhosle too would be converted in pedestrian paths.
Former Panjim MLA Sidharth Kuncalienkar has on earlier occasions asserted that IPSCDL will work towards revenue enhancement from the city. He said “Technologies will be used for plugging the revenue gaps and bringing un-assessed and under-assessed properties into the tax ambit and improve property tax collections and revenue from advertisement taxes will be improved by analysis and enhanced planning and collection mechanisms.”
The challenge begins. It’s not about the money but how smartly you use it.
